


Cold Front

by hinotoriii



Series: Oscar Trevelyan [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-17
Updated: 2015-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 23:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3187670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinotoriii/pseuds/hinotoriii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dorian dislikes a lot of things, yet he quickly discovers just how much he hates the cold. And the snow. And … the ice. Which is a little problematic, considering that he’s in a group currently journeying through <i>Emprise Du Lion</i> of all places. Luckily, after remembering pasts discussions they shared together where Dorian told him more about Tevinter, Oscar managed to think ahead about such problems before they left Skyhold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cold Front

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my tumblr. Very few spoilers - simply just mentions of one of the missions in Emprise Du Lion, and a brief comment made about a point in Dorian's personal romance quest. But other than that, nothing huge. Just silly fluff that popped to mind after Dorian made some sarcastic comments in game about bringing him to a snowy, cold place.

Oscar finds him sat grumbling on a log beside one of the tents once he's gathered the report from their scouts. He shares a confused look with Varric across the camp, earning a shrug of the shoulders from the dwarf mixed with a 'don't ask me about it' look upon his face. Dorian's mumbling is more like an angry rant that he's muttering to himself under his breath after all, yet from the words he manages to hear such as 'cold', 'snow' and 'blasted ice', Oscar knows enough to understand what it is that's bothering him so much.

"Dorian!" He calls cheerfully, edges of his lips tilting upwards into a fondly amused smile. "So this is where you are."

Dorian looks up from what he had previously been doing with a glare, shooting Oscar a bewildering, somewhat grumpy look.

"This is a camp, Inquisitor. Where else would I be but within it?" 

The familiar edge of sarcasm Oscar hears is enough to have him letting out a light chuckle, and if it were at all possible, he swears Dorian's eyes narrow even more in response. Oscar thinks Dorian's reminiscent to a child somehow looking at him then, one which doesn't enjoy being the brunt of some joke that everyone but himself feels is amusing.

"Are you having fun with -- what is it you're doing there?" Oscar asks, brow furrowing as he looks to what is held in Dorian's hand. His smile quickly returns when he understands however. "Ah, that's one of the new books we found today, isn't it? Cleaning them from remaining dust and cobwebs so you can check through them then, I assume?"  
  
"Well that was the intention," Dorian replies. "However, it does appear that such a simple task is rather difficult when your hands feel as if they are ice. I can barely even turn a page to see what some of these are about without the cold biting me."

"Still complaining about that are we?" Oscar says, shifting his weight from one leg to another. 

"But of course. You can't  _actually_  tell me you enjoy this type of environment, honestly. How you're not freezing yourself is a whole new mystery about you that I'm trying to work out. And let me tell you now, it's not one of the rather more fun mysteries you carry about you that intrigues me either."

Oscar lets out another laugh, not ignoring the hidden compliment (least he thinks that's what it is) that Dorian had laced into his words. He crosses his arms over his chest, careful not to crease any of the mixture of fabrics he carries draped over one of them.

"If you wore something a little warmer, perhaps you wouldn't be so cold."

"Not to mention that he knows magic: why can't Sparkler just magic up a fireball to keep himself warm?" Varric adds, walking past the both of them as he heads to one of the potion making tables where Vivienne busily crafts.

"Because magic doesn't quite work that way!" Dorian calls after Varric, before letting his attention drift back to the man standing before him. "And I don't have anything warmer. Incase I've failed to mention it before now, and if you haven't yet picked up on it for yourself, my homeland is a place in which it is vastly warm a large majority of the time. When it does get cold, it never falls to such unbearable a level as this -- and Tevinter most  _definitely_  is not used to entertaining snow. Although I don't actually see what's so impressive about the stuff now I've seen enough of it to last me a lifetime. It only slows all of us down."

Oscar's expression is amused as he listens to Dorian's words, and afterwards he shakes his head whilst fighting back another urge to laugh. Instead he lets out a small sigh, smile growing further across his lips as he watches Dorian turn back to the book he clutches tightly.

"I'd ask if you had any more strong opinions on the terrain and weather, but I think I already know the answer to that."

Oscar straightens his posture, his amused expression morphing into something fond. Although Dorian's grumbling could be rather entertaining to him at times, Oscar was still very much aware that it stemmed from a discomfort of what things Dorian wasn’t used to, and of something he did not find any sort of enjoyment in in the slightest. Knowing that Oscar hopes he can make some of those feelings disappear whenever they surface, that he can attempt to bring even a bit more comfort into Dorian's day whilst they continue on with what they’re all set out to achieve.

"It won't be for long," Oscar reassures. "As soon as we capture Suledin Keep and seen to anything else that’s needed to make it functioning for the Inquisition, we can return back to Skyhold. At least by the time it’s captured we'll have walls to keep us all warmer rather than these flimsy tents."

"That is of course as long as we don't all manage to freeze before that," Dorian mumbles. Oscar still manages to hear him.

"Well, then it's a damned good job you have me here to make sure that doesn't happen, isn't it? I do have a few tricks up my sleeve after all."

Confusion colours Dorian's face once more, and with a furrowed brow he lifts his head to stare at Oscar. Oscar smiles brightly at the sight, lifting some of the fabrics from where they lay draped over his arm to throw something towards Dorian's lap. Dorian fumbles before staring down at the object with an inquisitive eye, reaching forward to lift the item from what he soon learns is the collar of a coat.

The coat is a little heavy to hold yet soft at the touch, and Dorian knows enough about the fabrics they've come across to recognise that it was made out of the better, finer quality materials. He stares at it speechlessly, wondering to himself how he's supposed to respond to such a gesture -- such a  _gift_  -- until the sound of Oscar's voice reaches his ears once more.

"I meant to give it to you earlier, but we were running late as we were leaving Skyhold and Cassandra was on my case making sure she reminded me that we needed to pick up enough reports about any red lyrium we discover whilst taking the Keep back. The coat  _is_  enchanted by the way. I found a way to make it somewhat more resistant to the cold. I was told that it should be good to move about in during combat too, but you'll have to see if that parts true for yourself."

"You ..." Dorian begins, still gaping at the coat and staring at it. "... Had this made? For  _me_?"

Oscar’s brow creases slightly at the question, and he provides Dorian with an odd expression.

“Of course I did,” Oscar answers. The words flow easily, as if they are the simplest truth Oscar knows. He breathes out a huff of a laugh that meets with the cold air around them. “You can’t possibly think that I would leave you feeling cold and miserable the  _whole_  time we’re out here now, can you? What sort of a man do you take me for?”

“Clearly a man that I hold in much higher regard than I did five minutes ago. And I must admit, I was already rather fond of you before.”

“So I’m assuming that you like it?” asks Oscar, grin rising as he continues to watch Dorian with the coat. He had  _hoped_ it would have been well received, yet after the time he had seemed to cross a line in retrieving Dorian’s family amulet for him, Oscar was a little worried Dorian’s worries might have bubbled to the surface once more.

“I do,” Dorian replies, his words turning soft as he turns to look up at Oscar once more. “Thank you. I have to tell you though that I wasn’t expecting you to do this, and if my complaining made it seem that I --”

“Dorian,” Oscar interrupts. “I know. Just, shut up and take the coat. This is me doing something nice and making sure you don’t freeze to death out here. I don’t think we have the space at Skyhold for a Dorian-shaped ice sculpture.”

“Oh, but wouldn’t that be something rather fabulous? Although I have to say, I’d quite like to be able to admire such a thing for myself rather than to  _be_  the frozen object in question.”

Oscar laughs, shaking his head once more before taking a light step backwards.

“Let me know if it does it’s job or if I have to restock our library on enchantment books,” He says. “If you need me, I’ll be checking to see if Sera snuck any of those jar of bees into the supplies like I asked her to. They’re rather handy.”

He hears the sound of Dorian’s laughter as he turns, slowly making his way towards the supply crates. Oscar’s smile continues to play upon his face, and he hopes that the coat manages to do it’s intended job in keeping Dorian a little bit warmer. He might not be able to do much to stop the snow from falling and the ice from being too slippery to walk on sometimes, but knowing he can help bring comfort in smaller ways?

It’s enough.


End file.
